The Yangtze River Delta is one of the most economically developed and integrated regions in China. It plays an important strategic role in China’s overall regional development. Based on the relevant data，this paper analyses the economic development of the Yangtze River Delta in 2018 from three aspects：general development，key industries and growth momentum. Based on the analysis of strategic opportunities and major challenges，it makes a brief outlook on the economic growth of the Yangtze River Delta in 2019. The main conclusions are as follows：In 2018，the economic growth rate in the Yangtze River Delta region continued to decline，but it was still higher than that of China and the world. The GDP of the region has exceeded 20 trillion RMB，and its share in China’s total economic output is basically stable. The overall level of economic development is relatively high，but the regional gap is relatively large. The industrial structure has been steadily upgraded，and emerging industries play a more important role in promoting regional economy. However，there are obvious regional and industrial differences in the development of industrial base and key industries. The growth rate of investment，consumption and export all decreased，the pull power of demand was weakened，but its internal structure was gradually optimized. In 2019，the Yangtze River Delta region will not only face new strategic opportunities，but also more severe challenges. The downside risks of regional economy will increase.